Elevate Your Marketing: Restaurant Holiday Promotion Ideas

Winter is the season for holiday celebrations, gift-giving, and time with family. Oh, and dining out! As a restaurant owner or manager, you know just how busy your space gets during the holidays.

But to really capitalize on one of the busiest times of the year for your business, you need to engage in a few marketing strategies. And if you’re looking for restaurant holiday promotion ideas, you’re on the right page. Our tips can help draw in customers and drive sales to new highs. 

Let’s get started!

Why promoting your restaurant makes sense during the holidays

First things first — why is restaurant marketing important during the buzzy December and January days? You know you’ll see an uptick in clients, so why use special promotions, too?

Well, there’s a lot of competition. Even if you offer the best meal in town, clients will want a good deal. And if they have several similar options, the one with the best offer may win out. 

Say you have a choice between two pizza restaurants. If one offers a holiday half-off on a second pie and a happy hour, but the other doesn’t, you might go with the promotion. The small savings can add up for consumers on a tight budget.

Another reason is fun. People want to feel festive during the holidays. Leveling up your restaurant game with holiday dishes and specials makes visits to your restaurant memorable.

When you get your restaurant in action with special holiday promotions, you set yourself up to attract more customers. That means greater revenues and a happy (and well-paid) waitstaff. 

The best restaurant holiday promotion ideas

People like eating out. It’s a great way to connect with family and friends without needing to cook a huge meal. It also supports local businesses — like your restaurant. To get in tune with the holiday season, consider a few of these promotion ideas.

1. Partner up at a local event

Is there a big Christmas 5K run or a holiday lights festival in your city? Find out how your restaurant can be a part of it. You might sign up to be a sponsor in exchange for advertising space or set up a food tent during the big event. 

Another option is discounting food and drinks before or afterward. You might give runners $5 off their meal and drink tab or a free dessert to people who attend the lights festival. Those promotions tie your restaurant directly to the activity so you can piggyback some extra earnings. 

2. Hold holiday happy hours

Turn your restaurant into the go-to office party spot with drink discounts. If you already offer a happy hour, you could extend the time to give attendees longer to enjoy their drinks at a reduced price. And, if the happy hour usually occurs once or twice a week, you could extend it to every day until the holidays end.

Make sure to keep nearby businesses informed about your specials. You might share flyers or marketing emails directly with nearby organizations and staff to boost awareness. 

3. Tie in a holiday meal theme

There’s no better time to shake up your restaurant menu than the holidays. Instead of offering your usual fare, add a few special extras tied into the season. You might add a few drinks like Christmas sangria or a bourbon-based eggnog. Or, you could promote some special desserts, like rum cake or fudge.

The holiday meal theme doesn’t have to circle around drinks and desserts. You can probably think of a few festivity-inspired appetizers or main courses, too. Just make sure to promote your new offerings through email and social media marketing! 

4. Provide bundled meal deals

Your restaurant probably has a few favorites that customers order again and again. Turn them into a bundled option just for the holidays. You can charge a lower price to encourage more orders. Or, you can extend your bundle to include a full meal — drinks, appetizers, meals, and dessert included. Then, charge a per-person rate that’s less than what they’d pay to order each item separately. 

5. Ask Santa to visit your restaurant

Kids love to meet Santa, so why not invite them to your restaurant? Hold a holiday event that includes your hired Santa and a few dining promotions. Kids can get their picture taken and tell Santa what gifts they want. And your clients — the parents — get a discounted and delicious meal. 

You can hold a Santa event at a less busy time for your restaurant, like a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. That can attract busy parents looking for something fun to do with their kids. 

6. Offer prepared meals for busy clients

One of the biggest draws of dining out during the holiday season is the time savings. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, people want a chance to get out of their kitchen. But there’s another way to meet their needs if they can’t dine in: offer takeaway.

Prepared meals mean your clients benefit from the ease of someone else cooking for them. And if they can’t visit your restaurant because of time constraints or lack of a babysitter, takeaway is a second option. Promote your takeaway options through your website and marketing channels so people know it’s available. You can also sign up with delivery services like GrubHub and Uber Eats.

7. Open up for Christmas 

Many families plan Christmas dinner at home — but that trend is changing. One recent survey showed 57% of Americans plan to eat out on December 25. So, if you’re willing to open your doors on the holiday, you may find a willing batch of customers flooding in.

Is that the right move for your restaurant? It depends. Fine dining restaurants will probably have no shortage of clientele, but it might not be a good choice for a casual burger joint. Consider your customer base and menu to decide whether it makes sense for your business.

8. Provide holiday catering

Another way to draw in clients during December is through holiday catering. Plenty of businesses and consumers hold events that require food. Think office parties and friendly get-togethers. You could offer special catering services for the holidays to meet client’s needs.

Some restaurants use their regular menu for catering, but you could take it up a notch with a special menu. Try to include foods that do well at parties, like casseroles and side dishes. Make it holiday-themed to keep the occasion unforgettable!

9. Personalize deals for your regulars

Chances are you have a devoted customer base of regulars. And if you use a loyalty card program that tracks their orders, you know what they like the most.

Make use of the data with personalized holiday meal deals. Try emailing or texting coupons for your client’s favorite dishes. Next time they stop in, they can redeem your offer.

10. Offer pre-cooked Christmas favorites

Your clients might like someone else to cook the Christmas ham or prime rib. If you have the facilities for it, you can cook the main parts of a typical holiday meal they can pick up on Christmas Eve. 

Aside from the main course, you could tack on mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, and desserts. Your clients save time on cooking, and you reap the benefits of more sales.

11. Share gift cards

The holidays can bring in big restaurant crowds, but January may thin out. You can keep things rolling by giving away dining gift cards to your December visitors. The gift card doesn’t need to be for an entire meal — you might offer $5 or $10 off for clients who dine after January 1. 

If gift cards aren’t an option, you could try a promotional voucher. You might offer a free appetizer or drink to customers who present your coupon after the start of the year.

12. Hold a charity drive

Not everyone has the funds for a costly Christmas dinner or expensive gifts. You can support those most in need by partnering with a local charity during the holiday season. 

One option is giving a percentage of all sales directly to the charity. Or, you could ask customers to donate non-perishable foods or toys for children in need. Make sure to promote your charitable giving to attract more momentum. 

13. Up the holiday atmosphere

Is your restaurant looking festive for the holidays? If not, you may pass up an opportunity to drum up more business. Consider things that add a bit of flair to the atmosphere, like a decorated Christmas tree or holiday lights. You might also throw on some holiday music playing softly in the background. 

For a unique touch, give your staff costumes to wear during the holiday season. A team of elves or reindeer can definitely attract a few eyeballs (and interest) in dining at your restaurant. 

Holiday marketing ideas: Tips for success

There are plenty of ways to drum up more clients during the holiday season, but how do you make sure people know about your promotions? That’s where a little holiday marketing pays off. 

Level up your social media game

These days, nearly everyone has a social media account. Your presence on Instagram, Facebook, and other channels can expand your reach to get more clients.

Use your social media accounts to share news about your select holiday promotions. And a single share probably isn’t enough — try to post about your deals several times a week. If you’re holding a major event (like a Santa visit), post daily and encourage people to make a reservation ahead of time. 

Share your promotions via email

Email remains one of the best ways to get in contact with clients. If you have an email marketing list, put a few messages together that highlight your special holiday deals or promotions. You can use Constant Contact’s drag-and-drop templates to make the process easier. Make sure to include pictures — a text-only email isn’t nearly as convincing as one that contains images. 

Use SMS text messaging to reach customers directly

Do you collect your client’s cell phone numbers for marketing purposes? If so, you can leverage SMS text messaging to highlight upcoming restaurant promotions. You can also use SMS marketing for other purposes — like confirming a reservation or getting feedback on a recent visit.

Go old-school with flyers and direct mailers

While it may seem like marketing occurs entirely online, that isn’t the case for local restaurants. Try leveraging on-the-ground interest through direct mail and word of mouth. You can notify people of upcoming holiday events or share a coupon they can use on their next visit. 

Update your website for the holidays

Keep your website current with your new holiday promotions. Share your new holiday menu and list any special events or available deals. You can also create website landing pages for your promotions and insert the URL into your marketing emails or social media posts. 

Hopefully, you have a developed Google Business profile so customers can find your restaurant’s phone number, address, and see how to get there and fill their stomachs. You can even use your Google Business profile to share a digital flyer of holiday offerings so anyone who clicks on it sees what’s available. 

Try cross-promoting with other local businesses

Few organizations will turn down the opportunity for free marketing. Consider partnering up with local non-competitors and promoting each other’s businesses during the holiday season. That works very well for restaurants located in a shopping center where there’s a large variety of stores. 

Make this holiday season the best year yet for your restaurant

There’s a lot of fun to be had during the holiday season — and as a restaurant owner, you can make it quite profitable. Use our promotional ideas to bring in more foot traffic or add a unique twist to make them your own. 

As you nail down your holiday deals, get your marketing ducks in a row, too. The more you spread the news about your promotions, the more likely people are to hear about them. And that’s what will bring in the crowds.